The present invention presents a challenging game of skill and strategy in which players take turns in building a maze by the addition of "L" shaped pieces, and moving an identifier marker through the maze path, to indicate the position of the individual player within the maze. This game may be played by two, three or four players. The two and three player games are played individually; the four player game is played by two teams of two players. The object of the game is for one of the players to escape from the maze, and the first player or team to do so is the winner.
Apparatus for playing the game consists of: 28 "L" shaped maze pieces, and four identifying markers, such markers to be used to indicate the various positions of the players within the maze. A playing board is rendered unnecessary and the game may be played on an ordinary table top or any other flat surface that is large enough to accomodate the maze constructed during the course of the game.
Each of the 28 playing pieces is formed to present three squares of equal size. A border is marked around the perimeter of the playing piece, defined by a heavy line. The heavy line is continuous along the outside edge of each of the pieces to further define five closed sides, but is interrupted on three of the sides, thereby defining three exit openings. This is to permit the continuation of a maze. The playing pieces are marked on both sides, one side being a mirror image of the other side. This permits the playing piece to be used in two ways simply by turning the playing piece over to expose the other side. No two playing pieces are alike and each one represents one of only 28 possible configurations.
When adding a piece to the maze, a player must always bear in mind two requirements: (1) At least two borders of the piece must be in contact with the maze, and (2) at least one defined exit on the piece must be joined to an exit on the existing maze, but may not be placed in such a manner as to close off the last remaining exit out of the maze.
In addition to the previously described apparatus of the game, an optional deck holder is provided for retaining the unplayed game pieces in an orderly stack from which the various players can draw pieces in turn.
To begin a game, each player selects an identifying marker. The playing pieces are stacked into a deck. The deck is cut, restacked, shuffled and may be placed on the holder. Three or four playing pieces are then dealt to each player, the number of pieces depending on the number of players in the game. Thus, if there are two players, each player receives four pieces. If there are three or four players, each player receives three pieces.
The player first in turn begins the formation of the maze by selecting one of the pieces dealt to this player and places it at the center of the playing surface. The first player then enters the maze by placing a marker on one of the squares of this piece to establish a position within the forming maze. The other players take turns in a clockwise direction around the playing surface, add one of the pieces dealt to them to the maze, and place a marker to indicate their positions within the maze.
Players now set aside the pieces dealt to them for later use in the game. Each piece set aside must be clearly visible to all players.
In the second turn, each player, in turn, plays two pieces from the deck, adding these pieces to the maze. The two pieces must be played in sequence, i.e., the first piece must be added to the maze before the second one is removed from the deck.
On the third turn and all subsequent turns until the deck is depleted, each player plays two pieces sequentially from the deck and afterwards must move the identifying marker two steps, with a step being defined as a move from one adjacent square to another. Diagonal movement is not permitted.
When the deck has been depleted, the pieces previously set aside by the players may be used. The use of the pieces is optional with the players. A player may use one of the pieces to add to the maze, per turn, or may withhold a piece for later play in the game, but a two step move of the marker is required regardless of whether or not a piece has been played in turn.
The game continues until a player or team escapes from the maze at which point the game ends. The escaping player, or team, is the winner of the game. It must be noted that when playing as a team, both members of the team must escape from the maze to end the game.
Although much novelty is found in the foregoing description, it is also noteworthy to consider the novel compactness of the apparatus of the present invention which can literally be stored in a container of about the size of a package of cigarettes, and yet when played, results in a maze with a total area of approximately 84 square inches when all pieces are used, assuming a side dimension of a playing piece is one inch.
The novelty of the present invention becomes even more apparent after examination of references disclosed by a recent patent search of the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,271 by McMurchie teaches a game which, unlike the present invention, uses a game board. Square tiles with straight and curved lines are drawn from a deck and added to the playing board or grid. Each player starts forming a line at the edge of the board and has an identifying piece which rests on this line segment. During a turn, a player chooses one of the tiles in a hand, as in card games, and adds it to his line in such a way as to increase the length of the line. The player then advances the identifying piece to the end of the line. If at any time, the forward end of the line touches the edge of the playing board, the player is eliminated from the game. The object of the game is to remain in the game until all other players have been eliminated. Both the method and object of the game are very different from the present invention and do not anticipate the present invention in any respect.
A reading of U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,956 by Bovasso teaches a game that employs a plurality of identically marked square cards played, as in McMurchie, on a playing board. The object of the game is to extend a line from one end of the board to the opposite end, or to form a continuous loop, quite unlike the present invention.
An additional dissimilar game plan is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,545 by Weisbecker wherein a playing board has a pattern of squares protruding from a molded board and pieces of various shapes are inserted between the molded squares to form a surface route that intersects with the squares. The object of the game is to move a marker on the route from one corner to another on the playing board.
Another reference is German Pat. No. 801435 by Schulle. The disclosure here is really not a formulated game, but rather a mechanical device that can be used to construct a variety of mazes. Essentially, it teaches a playing board consisting of a grid in which linear elements may be inserted to form the walls of a maze.
Somewhat similar to Schulle, is the teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,253 by Csoka, wherein a slotted playing board is used, and in which players build a maze which is concealed from other players. The players take turns guessing where to enter the opponent's maze, and how to move through this maze. The object is to reach a designated square hidden in the maze of the opponent.
An interesting game is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,309,092 by Hardesty, which unlike the present invention, is another board game. Hardesty uses square tile with line segments marked thereon to form a "road route" when fitted together. A die is included and is cast by the players to determine movement on the playing board. The object is to get from one end of the playing board to the other on the "road" across the square tiles.
As shown by a review of the several references, it is quite apparent that the present invention represents a very unique and novel departure from the prior art. The novelty of the present invention will be further demonstrated in the rules and detailed description that follow.